The scene from south Slidell: High water and devastation

Slidell Police and emergency officials continued to mop up Tuesday after the devastating flooding that overwhelmed much of the southern half of Slidell following the glancing blow from Hurricane Katrina's eye wall.

Entire neighborhoods in low-lying areas were under more than seven feet of water, leaving many families trapped in attics or on second floors. Slidell Police and St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office deputies have been combing through neighborhoods hit by the flooding since after the strongest winds ceased Monday afternoon, said Capt. Rob Callahan, a Slidell Police spokesman.

Police had rescued more than 100 people as of Tuesday afternoon, he said, none of whom were injured.

At the height of the storm Monday, major flooding extended from Lake Pontchartrain through Olde Towne and up to Fremaux Avenue

But by Tuesday afternoon, much of the flood water had receded from neighborhoods closest to the lake such as Oak Harbor and Eden Isles. Many portions of Pontchartrain Drive and its adjoining neighborhoods still were beneath at least three feet of water.

Callahan said he expects Slidell Police to be wrapping up the boat rescue efforts by Thursday. Though no fatalities have been reported as of yet, Callahan said there was a likely possibility police would come across some in the next few weeks.

"The hardest part is going to be going back later on and finding the casualties, although I hope there are none, " Callahan said. "Until the water recedes, we can't get to those bodies."

Those plucked from rooftops and attics by boat were taken in dump trucks to the Founders Building at Slidell Memorial Hospital, Callahan said, where food was being made available.

Callahan said Katrina packed the hardest punch Slidell ever has seen. "Imagine your worst nightmare and quadruple that times 100, " he said.

Storm surges that ripped through the Oak Harbor and Eden Isles subdivisions Monday left portions of the area under more than 10 feet of water, but the receded waters Tuesday left behind evidence of the roaring winds that hit the area. Some houses stood with only minor roof and shingle damage, but closer to the lake there was more serious structural damage as chunks of roof were sent flying through the air and decks were demolished.

Several of the older bars and businesses on Pontchartrain Drive near the Oak Harbor entrance were reduced to piles of rubble.

"These are bars that we all went to, and now they're just gone, " said Chad Lowe, 27, who had just walked more than four miles through Oak Harbor to survey damage at his home and much of the area. "It's unthinkable. A lot of this area is just absolutely destroyed."

Close to the lake near Oak Harbor Marina, boats were suspended on levees and tossed to the sides of roads. A catamaran was resting on a damaged portion of the twin spans and several other boats dotted I-10 south of Old Spanish Trail.

Serge Celestin, who rode out the storm at his house on Pebble Beach Drive in Eden Isles, spent most of the storm in his attic to avoid the rising waters. Cars in his garage came crashing into his walls as the rising water carried them afloat. Portions of his roof were ripped off, leaving him a view of storm surges inundating Interstate 10.

"I couldn't tell what I was looking at, " Celestin said. "The interstate, the bridge, the lake. They were all one."

Rescue efforts on Tuesday continued in the Pinehurst and Kingspoint subdivisions south of Fremaux Avenue, where Sheriff's Office officials used Wildlife and Fisheries boats to rescue residents trapped in attics and on second stories. Waters toppled over the levees surrounding the neighborhood after the worst of the storm passed Monday, leaving some houses beneath almost eight feet of water.

Arnold Angelo, whose house had water halfway up the garage, braved the winds Monday afternoon to rescue 19 people and bring them to safety at a neighbor's two-story house. He continued patrolling the neighborhood into Tuesday night, dodging mailboxes, stop signs and submerged cars that were barely visible beneath the high waters.

Many of the people he saw trapped preferred to ride out the high water rather than face the uncertainty of leaving their pets and homes behind. Several of the trapped residents Angelo saw had posted signs outside their homes saying "No food, no water" or "Help!"

"It's a shame people had to go through this, but I'm one of the lucky ones because I've got a boat, " he said.

He cautioned residents not to return to the city, saying many roads are still completely blocked off by fallen trees. All entrances to the city are being blocked off by state troopers, who will check driver's licenses to make sure only residents are trying to enter the city.